After Effect
by thehush
Summary: A series of drabbles and ficlets telling the stories of Galaxy Shepard, sole survivor of Mindoir and Akuze. Most of these will take place post-ME2, but some build up Shepard's past before ME1. ShepardxJoker, eventually.


**"After Effect" by Erin**

**001. Beginnings – "Girl in the Wall"**

**Prompt:** Beginnings  
**Note:** This is my sorta first fic for Mass Effect, so I'm still working with the universe and my Shepard. This was terribly fun to write, and is a bit longer than a drabble I think. Ficlet perhaps? Not beta-ed.  
**Disclaimer:** Mass Effect and the blank slate of Shepard is the property of Bioware, while Galaxy, M.O. Simmons and Commander Stribog are mine.

* * *

"Sir, it's still showing life-signs here." Medical Officer Simmons waved his Omni-tool over the wall of the colony's tech building. A wave of light pulsed on the hologrid in front of his face, revealing something humanoid.

Commander Stribog reached out and knocked on the metallic wall, immediately getting a response. The figure began to crawl towards the ducts overhead, hardly making any sound as it did so. It was planning on sneaking out the ducts and into the ship-hold.

"Maybe it's a colonist, sir." Simmons rushed over to the duct vent and peered inside. "Hey! Don't run! We're here to help! We're Alliance."

In the darkness, he saw a girl's eyes look at him, frozen like a trapped animal. He knew that look, it was the same one that other survivors had when they found them. It said their ears had heard the screams of their families dying and of kids being captured to be enslaved. Their eyes had seen friends raped and ripped apart. Their nose knew the smell murder-blood and their mouth knew the taste of hunger and instinct.

He backed away from the duct, putting his hands in the air. "Come on out, the Slavers are gone."

She crept closer to the vent covering and eyed them. Her wide, green eyes were glassy from hunger and days, weeks in the dark. For a moment he was sure she was studying their uniforms, classifying their guns, reading their body language. This had been her saving grace against the Slavers, he wagered. Nothing escaped her senses or her constantly questioning mind. Everyone was broken apart and put back together before she pushed her hand against the vent grate and looked back at him.

Simmons tugged and the grate easily fell to the floor. The loud noise made her shrink back, but he raised his hands again, open palmed. She calmed, one skinny leg slinking out of the duct while another one followed. Her legs could hardly support her, hunger and lack of movement having taken their hold over her. No one neared her as she sat on the cold floor and looked up at them.

She was skin and bones, her eyes sunken in and shadowed with lack of sleep and nutrients. Her greasy brown hair was grayed with dust and snaking over her head in a sloppy tail to keep out of her way. The Omni-tool over her arm flickered, weak from over use. Simmon's realized she had been in the dark much longer than he thought, but her eyes stayed wide as if she didn't dare close them.

Suddenly, she tugged at her clothes, pulling them tight around her as if to protect her dignity. They were dirty and ripped in various loose spots. They had snagged on pipes and tight spaces, burns wrapped in shreds of pant and sleeve.

Simmons knelt down, his hands finally resting on his knees. "Is there anyone else behind their, miss?"

The girl shook her head.

"Can you tell us your name?" Commander Stribog finally asked.

She looked at them both again, studying them before she opened her mouth. It closed after a few moments of silence, as if she had lost her ability to speak. It had been so long, he figured, since she had allowed herself to make a sound.

Her fist hit the metallic floor with a weak thud, mouth opening again. "Shepard. Galaxy." She replied in a hoarse voice, small and hardly disturbing the air around her. She watched intently as he put in her name and discovered her parents.

"Galaxy Shepard, daughter of Hannah and Jim Shepard. They owned the farm on the edge of the colony." Simmons waved the Omni-tool over the girl and felt relieved at her lack of bodily trauma. "She's going to need food, vitamins, and a bath, but she's relatively unscathed… in a sense."

Commander Stribog shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Miss Shepard, would you allow us to bring you back to the ship? We're the last of the teams scouting the area and I'd hate to leave you here with no resources."

Galaxy appeared to think over her options, studying them again. She even looked off towards the hallways that lead into the science buildings and community center. A colonist kid only knew metal and foreign soil, so the thought of leaving, he was sure, made her nervous.

But she surprised him, suddenly holding up her arms for him to lift her off the floor. Her large green eyes looked up at him with determination, as if to say she was ready for anything.

"We'll have a few of the privates return to your house and pack your things once we get you to safety." Commander Stribog replied, already heading towards the door that led to the docks.

Simmons knew his commanding officer was trying to distance himself from the girl, even if she needed human contact more than anything right now. The older man had seen too many people dead that day to think of such a thing, and could be forgiven the cold shoulder.

Simmons let the girl wrap her arms around his neck as he tucked her legs over his arm and cradled her close. She was too light, so much so that he hardly struggled with her. At sixteen, she should have given him just a little trouble, especially for a farming kid.

As they made their way to the docks, he tried to keep her talking. Anything to make sure she was distracted as they passed bodies – Slaver and colonist alike. She hid her face in his uniform coat, but didn't cry. He was sure she had already cried enough, alone and without anyone to comfort her.

"Was it you that poisoned the Bartarians in the Community Center? I saw your Omni-tool registry in the science lab. That was pretty clever, using chemicals and locking the room. We'd of never gotten in when we did if you hadn't." He looked down at her and realized he had overstepped a line somewhere.

Galaxy looked guilty and clutched at his shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt anybody…" She covered her mouth. "They just… there's no one left… They killed my mom, my dad… my friends. I saw them crate little kids… feed…" She opened her eyes wide again breathing heavy. "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save anyone. They told me to run. Hide. Survive…"

She was beginning to hyperventilate, the stress of a month alone and with her thoughts finally taking their toll. Simmons wrapped an arm around her head and tucked her under his chin. If he could pull her any closer, he would have. He couldn't imagine being sixteen and having to slowly poison anyone. But with no weapons or training, all she had were her wits.

She was incredibly brave.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Galaxy. Take deep breaths and try and remember what those bastards did. You saved a lot of lives. I know you wanted to save your colony, but you can't blame yourself for that. You're alive, and because of that, no one'll be forgotten." He reached into his utility belt and brought out a shot of sleeping agent.

Galaxy grabbed his wrist weakly at the sight of it. "Please… I don't want to dream." She shook her head, terror in every feature. "They're there, pulling me out of walls… Everyone's screaming…"

Her heart raced under his fingertips, but she relented, letting go of his wrist to clutch at his shirt again.

He pressed the applicator against her inner arm and injected the chemical into her system. It left a small circle of dots against her skin. "You're the bravest girl in the whole universe…"

Her voice was small and sad under his throat. "I'm just a Shepard…"


End file.
